Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Grace: Unwelcome Advances

I have to leave the pack.

This realization is a long time coming, but when I wake up to Rafe's face staring down at me, in the relative safety of my own room, it's a decision made for me.

I'm not safe anywhere. Not even where I sleep.

"Don't shout," he whispers, placing a hand over my mouth.

I wasn't going to, anyway. No one would come to my aid here.

My nod seems to relieve him, because he lets me go and sits on my bed without asking for permission.

I sit up, my fingers clutching the blanket and pulling it over my chest. The thin fabric offers little protection, but it's all I have against Rafe's piercing blue gaze. I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday, but being in my bed—in my room—leaves me feeling vulnerable.

My heart pounds, a traitorous rhythm that threatens to betray my resolve.

"What are you doing here?"

Rafe's sun-bright hair catches the dim light, a halo around his perfect features. His blue eyes, once a source of comfort, now make my stomach twist.

All I can see is how he dumped me for Ellie the moment he realized they were mates.

"How are you doing, Grace?"

His hand reaches for mine. I flinch away, pressing myself against the headboard.

"What are you doing here?" The words come out sharper this time.

Rafe's shoulders slump, and he runs a hand through his hair, mussing the perfect strands. "I'm worried about you."

A harsh laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it. "That's rich."

"I mean it, Grace. I care about you."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

His sad facade fades as his jaw clenches. There's a tick beneath his skin, a twitching that only serves to remind me he's changed. Like a personality transplant. Or, worse—I never knew him at all. "It's complicated."

"No, it's not. You chose her. You made that perfectly clear."

of amber bleeding into the blue of his eyes. My lack of submission must anger his wolf, too. "It's not that simple.

it." I cut him off, wishing my words came out with more scorn and less trembling. "I don't want to hear

over me. Trees and earth and everything I once called home. "Grace, please. I never meant to

words hang between us, heavy and undeniable. Making me

let him take my hand. His touch sends sparks

miss you," he

back to the way things were. But then I remember Ellie's cruel smile. His

"You don't get to miss me. You don't get to come in here and act like you

to calm himself. "I know things are different now, but that doesn't mean I've

way to express how I feel. So I laugh. A brittle, sharp, broken sound. "Like how your new mate treats

ugly, before it smooths out again. He leans forward, grabbing my hand and

coursing through me. "It's not just about how Ellie treats me. It's about how you let her treat me. How you stand by and watch while I'm humiliated and

can't go against my mate, Grace.

demand, anger finally overtaking the hurt. "What do you want from

darken, and suddenly he's too close. His hand cups my cheek, and I hate the way I lean

heartbeat, I'm tempted. To give in, to let him kiss me, to pretend that nothing has changed. It would be so

I hate him.

miss

everything. I dreamed of a

scrambling out of bed. "Get

"Grace—"

familiar is terrifying. "You don't get to have both of us. You made your

attractive now feeling oppressive. "You're mine,

not. I'm human, remember? I don't belong to this pack, and I

me. His eyes blaze with amber fire; his wolf is fighting for control. He steps forward, and I step back, only for the

beside my head. "You're just angry with me. It's okay, Gracie. I understand. I

it against my jaw in a whisper-soft caress

not the Rafe I

My thoughts. He wanted me to be true to myself.

didn't ever claim to own

downgrade to pleas. "I just want to be left alone. If Ellie finds out you're

eyes drawn to my lips. "We'll

not stupid.

in a gentle caress. "It's

his lips against my hand, in soft, sensual kisses that only make my skin

made a mistake, Grace. But I'm going to get you back. You'll see.

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